An update from the chairman

It’s been a hectic week at the club as we look forward to our first fixture of 2024 on Saturday against Newcastle University.

It’s been a tough few weeks for every involved at the club but we are now in a position to move forward and welcome everyone to The Welfare Ground on Saturday.

*The Charity*

The legal structure of Brandon United is one that is rarely spoken of.

Brandon United is a charity with objectives to promote wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle through providing:

- Sporting facilities
- Football teams
- Coaching
- Education

Our objectives are to serve the local Brandon and wider Durham community with the above objectives and it’s an area which has been overlooked in the past. We have the men’s team but no provision for other groups such as women and the disabled.

We are looking to provide adults, children and community groups with an opportunity to partner with the charity to make use of our under used facility.

*Finances*

On the financial side, the Charity isn’t debt free, short term creditors have been paid and we have a plan in place to meet our longer term financial obligations. The future is looking much brighter and we now look forwards with much optimism.

To move forward we need the support of the local Brandon people and the wider Durham community on both the fundraising, volunteer and playing side.

We have a detailed plan to restructure the charity into several sub committees which offer a chance for everyone to get involved.

*What have we been doing?*

In the last week we have:

*Playing side*
Appointed new manager
Held our first training session
Signed new players
Issued 7 day notice of approach for targets

*Ground*
Clubhouse reopened
General tidy up
New advertising boards

*Committee*
Retained 4 members of the committee
Added two further members

*Volunteers*
Retained all volunteers
Added 5 new volunteers

*Community*
Discussions with community groups around partnerships

*Media & communication*
New focus on social media
Online club shop opening soon
Website up and running again

In our next detailed update we will provide further information on our future plans.

We are in the process of arranging a fans forum where there will be a chance to provide feedback and ask questions, the date will be announced soon.

We are under no illusion of the challenge that lies ahead, the club did not fall into the situation it faced because everything was fine, however, with your support we hope that there are better times ahead and look forward to you supporting us throughout the rest of this season and beyond.

If anyone is interested in volunteering, donating, sponsorship or playing, please get in touch.